News Snapshots 12/15 – 12/21

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Every week, “The Patriot” scours the web to bring you headlines from around the world. Please note that no original reporting is involved. Feel free to discuss these stories at the bottom of the page.

Caracas, Venezuela – Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez, who has a history of making anti-American remarks, declared that the world’s tallest waterfall will be renamed from Angel Falls to its indigenous name, Kerepakupai Meru. The name Angel Falls was coined after American pilot Jimmy Angel spied the falls in 1933. “How could we accept this idea that the falls were discovered by a guy who came from the United States in a plane?” said Chavez said on his weekly radio show. Chavez added that no one should speak of Angel Falls anymore. Chavez has renamed things in the past, namely the country’s official name and a mountain in Caracas.

Krakow, Poland - Polish police have recovered a landmark sign that was stolen from the Auschwitz death camp in southern Poland. The sign, which reads in English “Work will set you free,” is considered by Auschwitz museum spokesman Pawel Sawicki to be one of the most important symbols of the past century. After questioning five suspects, the police have concluded that the men are not neo-Nazis and that the theft was financially motivated. During WWII, over one million people were killed at Auschwitz.

Washington, D.C. – After several incidents in recent years of commercial airline passengers being stranded on the runway for hours at a time, the U.S. Department of Transportation is now forcing airlines to deplane passengers if they have been on the tarmac for more than three hours. One such incident that sparked the new rule involved passengers sitting on the tarmac for over six hours. Airlines also must supply food and water to passengers after two hours. Security exceptions do apply, but airlines that do not follow the rules may face up to $27,500 in fines per passenger.